Deluxe was started in April 2009 by Carl Wessel and Judd Nicolay. Judd had worked in coffee for many years in his home country of New Zealand and recognised the need for and lack of good coffee in Cape Town. Carl co-owned a prominent production company and was looking for a change of pace from the demands of the film industry. They met in a Cape Town bar at the time where Judd was looking for a partner and a few weeks later Carl emptied his bank account and they bought a 2nd hand roaster which they installed in Carl’s backyard.